Bargain Booze has launched a partnership with Iceland to increase alcohol concessions across The Food Warehouse.
A trial period began on 8th September across stores in Cheltenham, Poole and York and is expected to expand across 120 locations.
More 1,000 products from Bargain Booze, ranging from beer, wine and spirits are expected to boost Iceland’ Food Warehouse selection by double.
Customers will have access to special offers and promotions on products sold in bulk unavailable in Iceland’s regular stores.
The Food Warehouse commercial director Justin Addison said: “We’re passionate about offering our customers the best range at the best value and our latest partnership is testament to this commitment.”
Dawood Pervez, managing director at Bargain Booze parent Bestway Wholesale, said: “This partnership is a very significant move for the Food Warehouse and ourselves, and has evolved from a mutual passion to offer consumers new ways to shop – through leveraging the power of two big brands under one roof.
“It will enable the Food Warehouse customers to enjoy great choice and value by offering them the best of both worlds.
“What is also important is that this trial works for both parties as we mirror our professional values. Iceland is all about delivering big brands, foods you can trust and innovation for amazing value.
“Here at Bestway we pride ourselves on those same principles and our Bargain Booze brand leads the way in bringing choice and on-trend off-licence products to consumers.”
Independent retailers body British Independent Retailers Association has condemned today's Budget as the most damaging for independent retailers in recent memory, with a triple blow of doubled business rates, increased National Insurance, and higher minimum wage costs threatening widespread high street closures.
Bira, representing over 6,000 independent retailers across the UK, reports the reduction in business rates relief from 75 per cent to 40 per cent (capped at £110k) from April 2025 will more than double costs for many retailers.
This comes alongside employer National Insurance contributions rising from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent, with the earnings threshold slashed from £9,100 to £5,000, and the minimum wage increasing to £12.21 per hour for over-21s.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said, "This is without doubt the worst Budget for independent retailers I have seen in my time representing the sector. The government's actions today show complete disregard for the thousands of hard-working shop owners who form the backbone of our high streets.
"Small retailers, who have already endured years of challenging trading conditions, now face a perfect storm of crippling cost increases. Their business rates will more than double as relief drops from 75 per cent to 40 per cent, while they're hit simultaneously with employer National Insurance rising to 15 per cent and a lower threshold of £5,000, down from £9,100. Add to this the minimum wage increase to £12.21, and many of our members are telling us they simply cannot survive this onslaught.
"One member has already calculated these changes will increase their cost base by £150,000 next year alone," he said.
Goodacre added, "For all the government's rhetoric about supporting small businesses and revitalising high streets, their actions do precisely the opposite. These punishing measures will force many shop owners to make heart-breaking decisions about their businesses' future.
"What makes this particularly bitter is that these are family businesses, often built up over generations, run by people who work incredibly long hours to serve their communities. They're now being asked to shoulder an impossible burden while trying to compete with online giants who face none of these cost pressures.
"This is clearly an anti-high street Budget. I can only assume that the government is happy for working people to shop online and buy cheap imports. This government has shown complete disregard for the local businesses that create jobs and maintain vibrant communities," he said.
A recent survey released by Bira showed that 46% of retailers reported worse trading in early 2024 compared to 2023, with 42.6% expressing low confidence for Q2 2024.
Goodacre said: "This Budget betrays every independent retailer who has fought to keep their business alive through recent challenges. It's not just disappointing - it's potentially catastrophic for Britain's high streets."
Local shops will face significant new pressures as a result of today’s Budget, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has warned.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget's impact will be felt unevenly across the UK’s 50,000 convenience stores, with some measures such as business rate relief and the increased employment allowance mitigating costs for smaller independent stores, while providing no help for chains and larger independent businesses.
The key measures for local shops announced by the Chancellor, and the costs for local shops associated with them, are:
National Living Wage to increase to £12.21 per hour
National Minimum Wage (18-20 rate) to increase to £10 per hour
Cost to the convenience sector next year: £7.739bn (increase of £513m)
Employers’ National Insurance Contributions to rise to 15 per cent
Threshold for Employers’ National Insurance contributions to fall to £5,000 per year
Employment Allowance to rise to £10,500 a year
Cost to the convenience sector next year: £397m (increase of £85m)
Retail and hospitality rate relief reduced from 75 per cent to 40 per cent
Small business multiplier frozen for 2025/26
Cost to the convenience sector: £267m (increase of £68m)
Total cost of main announcements (year-on-year difference): £666m
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “The cold hard facts are that the measures announced in the past 24 hours have added two-thirds of a billion pounds to the direct cost base of the UK’s local shops. At a time when trade is tough and operating costs are stubbornly high, this will be challenging for our members to absorb and there will be some casualties on high streets and in villages and estates across the country.
“Not all shops will be impacted the same. The smallest retailers, with low NICs bills and lower rateable values for their shops, will benefit from the welcome increase in the employment allowance and the retention of 40% of the retail, hospitality and leisure business rates relief. Retailers with a larger store, a number of sites or those operating a chain will receive limited benefit from these mitigations, and this will impact their ability to invest and to continue to offer services in the communities they serve.
The following additional measures were announced by the Chancellor in the Budget speech today:
Flat rate levy on vaping liquids from October 2026 of £2.20 per 10ml
Fuel duty frozen and the 5p cut extended for another year
A new commitment to tackling shop theft and funding directed to tackling organised gangs
Lowman continued: “The Chancellor’s commitment to tackling shop theft will be warmly welcomed by our members, but they are interested only in action and in crime against their stores and their colleagues being tackled effectively. We stand ready to help implement a new, and better-funded strategy to stop shop theft, abuse and violence against our members.”
SPAR North of England retailer Dara Singh Randhawa’s family store has been awarded £100,000 of free stock after hitting all his targets since moving to the symbol.
Dara and his family, who have their SPAR store in Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, joined SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd in August 2023 having taken the decision to maximise the store’s potential.
It is a decision they have not looked back on, with sales increasing by up to 25% and margins also showing significant uplift in the last 12 months.
Key to the store’s improved performance is the complete overhaul of products available in-store, particularly the fresh food range, to better support people who live in Patrington and the surrounding area.
A new store layout and refrigeration, better Food To Go and meal deal options, a coffee machine, and a Calippo slush machine were also installed during a major refurbishment prior to launch.
Dara said: “Our move to SPAR has been excellent. We have seen fantastic sales uplift and the support from the team at James Hall & Co. Ltd has been brilliant. The £100,000 of free stock is the cherry on the cake.
“We have been very impressed with the Price Locked promotions, in particular. These give customers confidence to do bigger shops with us as they see value on our shelves and the products at the same prices for longer.
“At times over the summer when tourists and visitors to the area add trade, we have seen sales £6,000 a week higher than our average. This is against a backdrop of the popular caravan park in the village being closed almost all year.
“We are really pleased with the position we are in, and we will be looking to achieve more in 2025.”
Peter Dodding, Sales Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd and Chairman of the SPAR Northern Guild, said: “Congratulations to Dara and the Randhawa family on hitting their targets and earning £100,000 of free stock.
“We recognise switching brand is a big decision for a retailer which is why this isn’t a gimmick, and we offer this to all retailers who join the SPAR family with James Hall & Co. Ltd.
“As well as our £100,000 incentive, we also offer retailers the chance to achieve up to an additional £5,000 of free stock if they successfully refer a friend.
“These opportunities provide additional motivation to retailers alongside the comprehensive benefits that joining the SPAR brand brings with it.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
The government has on Wednesday announced its acceptance of the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations on the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW).
The rates which will apply from 1 April 2025 are as follows:
NMW Rate
Increase (£)
Percentage increase
National Living Wage (21 and over)
£12.21
£0.77
6.7
18-20 Year Old Rate
£10.00
£1.40
16.3
16-17 Year Old Rate
£7.55
£1.15
18.0
Apprentice Rate
£7.55
£1.15
18.0
Accommodation Offset
£10.66
£0.67
6.7
The recommended NLW rate is expected to equal two-thirds of median earnings and to have the highest real value in the history of the UK’s minimum wage. The increase in the 18-20 Year Old Rate narrows the gap between that and the NLW, in anticipation of the adult rate being extended to 18 year olds in future years.
“The government have been clear about their ambitions for the National Minimum Wage and its importance in supporting workers’ living standards. At the same time, employers have had to deal with the adult rate rising over 20 per cent in two years, and the challenges that has created alongside other pressures to their cost base,” Baroness Philippa Stroud, chair of the LPC, said.
“It is our job to balance these considerations, ensuring the NLW provides a fair wage for the lowest-paid workers while taking account of economic factors. These rates secure a real-terms pay increase for the lowest-paid workers. Young workers will see substantial increases in their pay floor, making up some of the ground lost against the adult rate over time.”
Stroud admitted that the data show some signs of employers finding it harder to adapt to minimum wage increases.
“The tightening of the labour market since the pandemic has unwound, but the overall picture is similar to 2019. The economy is expected to grow over the next year, although productivity growth remains subdued,” she noted.
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:
Good work and fair wages are in the interest of British business as much as British workers. This government is changing people’s lives for the better because we know that investing in the workforce leads to better productivity, better resilience and ultimately a stronger economy primed for growth.
The recommended increase in the 16-17 Year Old Rate restores that rate to its original value relative to the adult minimum wage. In line with previous recommendations, the Apprentice Rate will remain equal to the 16-17 Year Old Rate.
Finnish plant-based company, Oddlygood, has acquired pioneering British plant-based company, Rude Health, for an undisclosed sum.
Oddlygood is a key player in the Nordic plant-based market, where in six years it’s grown to an anticipated turnover close to €50m this year and a widely stocked range of plant-based alternatives to milk, cheese, desserts, cooking products and yoghurts.
It launched its plant-based puddings into the UK market in 2023 and established itself in the competitive UK plant-based drinks category earlier on this year. Oddlygood’s mission is to raise the standard of plant-based food and drink. The UK is a key territory for the brand and its acquisition of Rude Health will further diversify the business beyond the Nordics and drive both UK and European growth.
Camilla and Nick Barnard co-founded Rude Health in 2005 at their kitchen table. Since then they’ve steadily grown the business and its offering, becoming a top five UK plant-based drinks brand alongside its range of cereals and snacks. The brand, which has always focused on quality ingredients and taste, is now widely available across major retailers and foodservice operators in over 40 countries and has a successful online presence. It has garnered a loyal customer base – even opening its own café in London which has been running since 2016. This year, the brand is on track to deliver £28m revenue – its biggest year to date. And recently, Rude Health has recertified as a BCorp with a score of 120.7, putting it in the top 3 food and drink brands in the UK.
Rude Health will continue to make the products everyone has come to know and enjoy. Oddlygood will establish a base for its UK and European operations and support the expansion plans. The move will see Oddlygood increase its market share of the competitive UK plant-based drinks category, worth £511m.
Niko Vuorenmaa, CEO of Oddlygood, added; ‘’Our ambition is to become one of the leading plant-based companies in the UK and Europe and this acquisition will help accelerate this, but key to its success is the strong alignment between Rude Health and Oddlygood.
Rude Health is one of the biggest success stories in British plant-based food. It’s nothing less than impressive the way the team has grown its product range alongside such a distinctive and well thought of brand to deliver commercial success.
Both Oddlygood and Rude Health have complementary portfolios, target audiences and capabilities which will enable us to grow the business. What we’ve achieved with Oddlygood in such little time is down to the expertise and passion of our team. We’ll focus the same attention and care to Rude Health and look forward to collaborating with their team.’’
Camilla Barnard, Co-Founder of Rude Health, says; ‘We created Rude Health at our kitchen table, to make healthy eating a celebration, not a sacrifice. From these basic beginnings mixing muesli we branched out into more cereals and then dairy alternative drinks. The Rude Health® brand has grown beyond anything I could imagine to become a household name. Now is the right time to find a partner who can help take it to the next stage of success and Oddlygood shares so many values and the ambition to make this possible.’’
Tim Smith, CEO, Rude Health, commented; ‘’Joining forces with Oddlygood opens up new opportunities for growth and innovation, and our shared missions around taste, quality and the crucial role of plant-based food and drink make this a natural fit. We’re looking forward to working together and leveraging our strengths and making the healthy choice a celebration (not a sacrifice) for our customers. It’s an exciting new chapter for the brand and the team.’’
The global plant-based dairy alternatives market is re-gathering pace and is expected to grow to $69 billion by 2030, making it a hot bed for new investment and innovation. This will be Oddlygood’s second acquisition, after acquiring Nordic plant-based brand, Planti, in 2023 to further drive growth and market-leading innovation.
The drive for high quality innovation in this sector is key to this acquisition. Oddlygood’s founding company, Valio, has over 100 years’ dairy expertise in addition to plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. A key player in the international dairy products market, with a turnover of €2.3bn, it launched Oddlygood® in 2018 to apply its expertise to a new and relevant sector. It later established it as a spinoff in 2021 and it’s now growing globally at over 40% year-on-year. The brand’s commitment to innovation includes the production of its signature Barista Oat drinks, where it uses all of the oat flour, delivering great taste and quality whilst minimising oat waste.
Vuorenmaa added; ‘’The UK market is notoriously competitive with established leaders but we believe that bringing these brands and teams together will reinvigorate the market and re-engage both new and existing users of plant-based products. We have total confidence in the future of the UK and European markets and the quality of the brands and the products now in our portfolio.’’